


A life not forgotten

by Rogercat



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms
Genre: Anal Sex, Courtesans, Dancing and Singing, Gay Sex, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Love, M/M, Money, Mordor, Pre-War of the Ring, Prostitutes, Third Age, inspired by various RL cultures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:28:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28815636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogercat/pseuds/Rogercat
Summary: Slavery was common in Mordor, but even among those there could be place for love
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Characters
Comments: 24
Kudos: 3





	1. The male courtesan

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nuredhel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nuredhel/gifts).



> Random idea for a story that was formed after re-reading a chapter in my LOTR/ASOIAF crossover

Middle of autumn, year 3005 of the Third Age: 

Mordor was ruled by Sauron, but the population there consisted not only of Orcs, Trolls and other creatures of Evil. The race of Men was living there too, but not everyone was a follower of the Dark Lord. Some were criminals sent there from their distant homelands as punishment instead of the death penalty for a crime, others were slaves who had lived all their lives in Mordor, often for several generations and thus knew no other life.

  
  


Nurn was the name given to the southern regions of Mordor, more fertile than Gorgoroth in the north, in which the great Lake Núrnen laid. Here those mortal slaves worked fields by the dark sad water of Lake Núrnen to feed the slaves and armies of Sauron. But not all slaves worked in the fields or to other heavy work, some of them lived a vastly different lifestyle, even if they too held the status of being enslaved…. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

In Nurn, there was a red-light district for the Men serving in the armies of Mordor. Brothels of different standards and costs, depending on the rank of the visitors. From streetwalkers, common prostitutes to elegant courtesans who did not merely sell their bodies for the pleasure of their customers but offered a variety of finer arts such as dancing, poetry and games such as strategy board games, a higher status of refined sex workers who was common in the Eastern realms as a important part of their cultures. 

One of those most grand brothels for high ranking officers was **_The_** **_Golden Sun_** **,** and the courtesans there famous for standing out in one way; they were all male, specially brought for the officers who did not feel drawn to women in any manner or simply did not want to risk having a bastard child with a courtesan that could cause problems in the family succession.

“Hurry, hurry! Our teachers need to be ready for the banquet before the ox carriage arrives to take them to the villa!” 

Right now, many of the youngest slaves in **_The Golden Sun_ ** ran around in the three-story building, carrying clothing and makeup boxes from different rooms. If they were below the age of 15, there was no risk of being sold as a courtesan, instead they were seen as apprentices to the working courtesans and would train to become successors to those. 

“Teacher, I have brought your skin cream. The seller had enough for me to be able to buy no less than ten jars! If they do not last over the next three months, then I will leave him a written complaint from you,” one of the boys in his early teens said as he knocked on the wall beside the door opening to tell of his arrival. The rooms were separated by curtains, not doors as wood was rare here in Mordor. Besides, in the worst summer heat wooden doors would not allow the air to circulate for some coolness. 

“Ah, thank you, Cyrus, for getting the skin cream on such short notice when we found out this morning that I had run out of the remaining cream in my last jar. Could you please help me with my hair once I have dressed? I need to oil it for tonight and as you know from before, my curls are not always willing to submit to the comb.”

Nodding, Cyrus went to bring some light snacks as his teacher carefully put on the skin cream on the face, neck, hands and feet. There was a very good reason why he needed the skin cream, and heaven help anyone who had the nerve of trying to steal the cream for themselves. Then the loincloth and the light blue silk dress with real gold embroidery he wore as a sign of being a high-class courtesan. Once Cyrus returned with the snacks, the jewelry would be placed as well. 

“Teacher, the manager asked me to tell you and your fellow teachers that he does not want Amethyst to be part of those who leaves tonight, he is still not finished in what you and the others have tried to teach him.”

Cyrus saw his teacher form a frown on his face at hearing this, which was a sign of displeasure. 

“Hmpf. As if that almost-albino male fool would even be ready after only two months of training! No, if he does not show any real talent outside playing the harp like any other mediocre player, and start being able to understand the very basic of the mixture of different languages that we speaks here due to the courtesans and their customers being from various countries, then we will have to make him one of the few workers here at **_The Golden Sun_ ** that takes in customers every night for a far cheaper price than us others. We may be a high-class brothel, but we can not all be famous courtesans with high prices for the customers to pay in order for having us entertain them, be it with our trained talents or _in bed with our mouth and with our behinds._ ”

And with that final part of his response, his teacher was indirectly telling his apprentice to not talk more about the newcomer to the brothel who had shown up unconscious on their doorstep little over four months ago. 

  
  


The banquet was one of the rare times that the courtesans of **_The Golden Sun_ ** would leave the brothel where they lived. Many of the high ranking officers had made this a celebration to have two new members among them, and many of them were also regular customers there. 

“Ooooh, it is Domelvo!” 

“We managed to get him and the other four top ranking ones!” 

Dressed up in his finest, it was hard to miss Domelvo even if he had not been the first courtesan to enter the hall. His mahogany brown skin, long curly hair and black eyes revealed a origin among the desert peoples of Far Harad, as the lands was called in Gondor, but he stood out in a different way from other slaves with his origins; He had vitiligo on his hands, around the eyelids, mouth and arms. It was a long-term skin condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment and the skin becoming paler in those patches instead of the same colour as the rest of his skin, showing up at a young age. But it was not for this that he had gotten his name, which meant “do not take others for the value of their face”, rather it was a common name in his birth place. 

“Thank you for summoning us, gentlemen. We hope to please you tonight to the best of our ability.” 

Calling such high-ranking courtesans as Domelvo and his coworkers over to a private residence required a large amount of money, so the officers must have joined together and saved a part of their monthly payments together to afford this banquet, which was not exactly common despite that they would be among the best-paid in the armies. On the other hand, some of the faces among those customers were unknown. 

“High-ranking officials from the various royal and imperial courts in the East and South, perhaps? Well, nothing important for me to know, I have work to do.” 

As part of the entertainment, Domelvo showed off his impressive dance skills, one of his three main talents beside strategy-based board games and playing the bow harp if a customer wanted to listen to music. 

“Aaaaah, what a regret that he is in the middle of being redeemed already! _That lucky bastard,_ who managed to get an agreement with the manager to not have to pay the full price at once!” one of the officers muttered, since he was one of the men who fancied Domelvo a lot but had found that someone else had won the race of earning enough money each year to be able to buy such a high-ranking courtesan from a brothel without ruining himself in the progress. And Domelvo was one of the most expensive courtesans in **_The Golden Sun_ ** for more than one reason. 

“What!?” 

It seemed like one of the younger officers perhaps had imagined an idea of redeeming Domelvo, but now found that daydream possibly crushed by reality, tearing his glare away from the dancing male courtesan to listen better. 

“How much is he worth to redeem?!” another one of the new, young-looking faces asked, his reaction hinted to that this may be the first time he was in Mordor and possibly had no idea that Domelvo would have the same price as any other high-ranking courtesan in a red-light district of the big cities. 

“Well…” one of the older officers said, mentally counting from the facts he knew, “the total price should be around **_ten thousand silver._ **”

Domelvo did not pretend to notice how the two new officers fainted from shock over the high price for him and the dawning reality that they would never be able to afford that sum before he would be retired, he just kept on dancing to the sounds of music played from the others. 

The price of redeeming a courtesan was determined based on how much the courtesan still owed the brothel and how much money the courtesan could have made if they stayed at the brothel; it was because of the latter rule that a high-ranked courtesan tended to be so expensive to redeem. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

On the way back to the brothel, well into the night, the five courtesans talked about how the two newcomers seemed to have found themselves not expecting that the courtesans here in Mordor may have the same prices as in the big capital cities. 

“If we were cheap ones, the cost to redeem us would be about 200 silver, which is roughly the average annual income of a successful farmer if he does not lose his harvest to bad weather or too high taxes.” 

Domelvo looked at his painted nails, recalling the unspoken reason why his price was so much higher than his coworkers if he was to be redeemed. 

“Surviving the operation to become a _eunuch_ can not be guaranteed. Even if it is an operation done by professional doctors, a castration is still not without the risk of possible death.”

Pushing down the froggy memory of the operation from about twenty years ago, since he had been drugged both to numb the pain and to prevent any sudden movements that could lead to the knife making a fatal wound and cost his life if the blood loss ended up too great, Domelvo instead tried to focus on something more pleasant. 

Back at **_The Golden Sun_** Cyrus and most of the other boys had fallen asleep in their shared bedrooms because it was only a few hours left to dawn. Knowing that there would be no more work tonight, the returning courtesans helped each other to remove any pieces of jewelry and placed those back in the right boxes. 

“Oi, Domelvo. A messenger rider came with a letter for you not long after that the banquet had started. _Your suitor,_ from what I could see of the handwriting,” the manager said once he had counted them all to ensure that no one had stayed behind at the private residence without permission. 

The letter had been neatly placed on the pillow in his bed, likely by Cyrus, who had the duty of keeping the bedroom nice when Domelvo was not there. Reading the letter more than one time to ensure that he did not miss any details, the eunuch smiled tenderly.

“A little gift for the eight anniversary of our first night together? Sounds very nice, even if he apologizes for the gift not being my freedom.” 

But Domelvo knew that it could not be much left of the ten thousand silver that was the price for his freedom out of slavery. If he had counted right, it must be about one thousand left, and his suitor would undoubtedly be able to get that cost fixed if he were given a few more missions like the one he currently was out doing for his local ruler, the Sultan who ruled the Sultanate of Rûm, not far from Near Harad. 

“I hope to see you again soon, Genghis,” Domelvo whispered for himself as he blew out the candle so he could fall asleep in bed. It was already nearly half a year since their last meeting, the letters from the skilled horse archer officer being few because of the long distances he had traveled as part of his missions. 


	2. Reunited Lovers and Discipline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are not always calm in The Golden Sun

Because of that  **_The Golden Sun_ ** was a famed brothel with the male courtesans generally viewed as worth the costs to be served by them whatever in the arts or the more rare sexual services, it was only natural that the manager had high standards about them. 

“Come on, lads, do not move your arms and upper bodies as if you are wooden dolls guided by the treads of a puppet master! Try to become more smooth in your dance movements! Think of how Domelvo danced yesterday evening for the old general that likes to come here at times for some simpler entertainment because he prefers to watch dancing instead of being served in bed.” 

Today Nasir, another of the top ranking courtesans, was holding a dance lesson for the apprentices that was still too young to make their sexual debut but still having spent enough many years here in  **_The Golden Sun_ ** to learn about the very basic skills they were expected to have outside sex. 

“Teacher,” his own apprentice Aziz suddenly spoke up from where he stood nearest the door, ”I think that Amethyst is about to possibly cause some form of trouble. He was staring at Domelvo before when Cyrus left with the water he used to wash his body, and given that Domelvo is...well,  _ missing his peaches _ to give life to the womb of a woman...” 

This would not be the first time Aziz had a bad feeling right before something dramatic happened in the brothel, so Nasir knew better than dismissing the preteen boy when he spoke such. 

“I will go and tell the manager then, so it hopefully will be avoided. If he dares to liken Domelvo to a casterad animal within earshot then it will be trouble…” 

But it was already too late, for in the next moment Domelvo could be heard screaming in fury: 

“Did you just call me a **_BEAST OF BURDEN!?_ ** ” 

Everyone here knew that Domelvo hated comments that likened his vitiligo to the fur patterns of black and white cattle, or claiming that he was less of a man for being a eunuch that may have his cock left but not the other two body items necessary for siring children. And since Amethyst had also annoyed Domelvo by acting like some spoiled noble despite that he could not speak the language mix of Mordor very well, everyone knew that he would trigger another berserk button of the eunuch before long. 

“Damn, sounds like a careless comment of his triggered a memory that Domelvo wants to forget. Cyrus, Aziz, get out on the streets together with the rest of everyone here and see if you can find  _ that person _ around the red light district as quickly as possible. We can not have Domelvo beat up that idiot to death.” 

Cyrus knew that his teacher did not have the physical strength as an intact man, but Domelvo was still strong thanks to all his daily dance training and if he had a very rare outburst of anger like right now, it meant that a thin limit of his must have been crossed. 

“Get going, brats!” the manager yelled over the sounds of what must be a fist fight. 

  
  


The red light district was a separate part of the surrounding area where other humans here in Nurn lived. But it was not unheard of that the apprentices of  **_The Golden Sun_ ** would be sent out in the wider city on errands, and they would wear the dress-like long tunics and the symbol of the brothel that told others of where they came from, ensuring that no one tried to assault them sexually on the streets because most people knew that a such act would not be taken lightly by the courtesans and the manager of the famed brothel. 

“Ginghis Khan! Ginghis khan!” 

If they were lucky, the so called suitor of Domelvo would have returned from whatever mission that had kept him away from Mordor for half a year and could help calm his anger. If not… well, that was another problem. So Cyrus and the other youngsters ran towards one district near a large grass field with many horses. 

“ **MASTER GINGHIS KHAN!!** ” 

Cyrus almost ran past the very man he was looking for, because most people of his land tended to dress plainly when out of armour and of course, it was hard to see the faces when facing the back. 

“Whoa! Hello there, Cyrus. You have grown since last I saw you,” the General spoke in surprise when he recognized the youth in a long cotton tunic that could almost be called a dress because of its length. 

“Master Ginghis, Teacher is having one of his anger outbursts! It was caused by a idiotic newcomer that is planned to debut soon and you know how Teacher can be when in a bad mood! He even started to beat up that newcomer when I was sent to find you!” 

It was really bad if Domelvo got angry enough to beat someone, Ginghis recalled from the last eight years as they had known each other. So he ordered a servant to bring the small treasure chest that he had intended to bring to  **_The Golden Sun_ ** later today, while he followed Cyrus back. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

Back at the brothel, his coworkers and even a few of the bodyguards, who otherwise would be ready to literally throw out unruly customers that drank too much while staying, had a hell to keep Domelvo and Amethyst separate on a smaller distance before the eunuch attempted to make a new aim with his foot on the groin area on the other man. 

“ **_YOU DAMNED NOBLES AND YOUR BELIEF THAT YOU CAN ACT OR SAY ANYTHING ABOUT OTHERS AS YOU PLEASES WITHOUT THINKING!! Do you think that this is an inn with a male staff only, where you can leave as you please?! No, once you have entered past those walls, you are nothing like your previous social status! You are a slave just like us others, and you shall serve our customers in whatever manner that you fit best!_ ** ” 

As Amethyst had no idea what the eunuch screamed in a for him unknown language, he responded back in a dismissing voice that did not make the whole situation. Rather, it only made Domelvo more furious because no one understood what the pale man had said. 

“If I could find the person who gave you that  **_nice scar_ ** on your chest, then I would pay extra money to have your pretty face covered in bruises!”

It was a good threat, since not even a thick layer of makeup of white face powder would mask such discolouration because Amethyst was the palest of all the gathered adults, looking like he could be or have a lineage from the very distant north lands called the Northern Waste. And despite not being a true albino with his silver-blonde hair and dark indigo eyes, he would still be easy to spot in a crowd outside. 

“Manager! Cyrus has returned!” another courtesan told from the doorway, making them hope that things would calm down now. 

“I heard that my sweet songbird needs some special attention,” Ginghis smiled as he entered, handing the manager a coin purse filled with coins as payment for spending some time with Domelvo. Hearing the new voice, the top courtesan of  **_The Golden Sun_ ** turned around to face his suitor. 

“Ginghis! My room,  **_NOW!!_ ** And you better not have wasted your sexual energy on some low-class woman before coming here!” he growled as he dragged the General along without much protests, but while his face still held an angry scowl, his eyes had already softened with joy. 

“This better not be the full payment you got for the mission you have done over the past six months away from Domelvo, horse-riding stepple rascal,” the old man muttered at checking the amount in the coin purse, right as the servant of Ginghis showed up, out of breath after needing to run back and forth on the order of his employer, with the treasure chest to give the manager, filled with 700 silver coins and even a few gold coins to add up its worth. 

“Wow, one more such mission that pays this well, and Domelvo will be redeemed within a year at the most!” Nasir whispered in awe at seeing how many coins there were within the treasure chest, agreements following from the other courtesans as Cyrus took pity on Ginghis' servant by giving him some fruit juice to drink from a cup. 

“As for  _ you _ who started this scene,” the manager glared dangerously at Amethyst, showing his displeasure over what had happened, “I have a perfect punishment in mind that should teach you some humility among your betters.  _ Losing your male cherry _ to the so-called  **_Bull_ ** should make you realize that you are one of the workers here now for real.”

Amethyst had seen some of the courtesans do sexual work to customers during the months he had been here, but he had resisted any previous attempt to make his debut as a new courtesan despite already being in his early twenties and thus unlikely to serve as a courtesan for many years since most courtesans here at  **_The Golden Sun_ ** would retire at the age of 30 before the physical signs of middle age affected their appearance. As a noble he already had education in writing and reading, but his skills in playing the harp and singing was almost laughable in contrast to Domelvo and the other courtesans who were famous for those skills because of daily training lasting for years if they showed the right talent for it. 

“Ooooh, that customer is going to have a fun night, then. He loves to  _ break in  _ new sex workers who still have the nerve of acting as if they were among the upper classes or protected by whatever status they had before coming to Nurn and sold to the red light district,” Nasir smirked, already feeling in a better mood now when Amethyst would not get away from any punishment for the fight with Domelvo that he had caused earlier. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

Inside the room that Domelvo would call his own, Ginghis were not surprised over how aggressive the male courtesan seemed to be at the moment as they kissed. When Domelvo was like this, it generally was not much need for prolonged foreplay and better to get themselves to action quickly. 

“Not so fast, Domo, I would rather not risk causing you pain,” Ginghis grinned as he removed his boots and socks. Even if Domelvo would have prepared himself with oil in case a different customer wanted sex, Ginghis were not in the mood of keeping his clothes on. 

“Damn, Ginghis, hurry up!” Domelvo hissed, grabbing hold of the tunic that his lover wore and forced it off without much care. He had already removed the silk dress alongside his loincloth, revealing himself for anyone with seeing eyes to be an eunuch if someone else would look. 

“Yes, honey.” 

With both of them now in the bed, Domelvo seated over his groin area, Ginghis grabbed hold of Domelvo's ass gently, massaging the buttocks slightly as he tried to get the proper mood in effect. As  **_The Golden Sun_ ** tried their best to avoid STDs being caught by the courtesans so they risked their work and health, there was a rule that condoms made from animal intestines had to be used by the customers and courtesans alike before any penetrative sex. If a customer refused to use a condom, then he would find himself thrown out of the brothel and possibly banned from future entering.

“I want to add a little oil on the condom. I know that you can relax for a comfortable entry but it has been a while since last.” 

Domelvo responded by pressing himself towards the hardening cock at his ass, a silent plea to be filled up. But the finger inside him knew where to stroke so he began to moan. 

“Perfect,” Ginghis smirked when seeing the response, how the black eyes widened with desire. This was how their foreplay in situations like this would be, making Domelvo lose his anger by the touches before he was entered by the other cock.

“Ginghis…” 

Domelvo groaned in pleasure as he felt the cock slide into his opened hole, Ginghis beginning to trust from below while keeping him in place with large hands on his hips. Those powerful trusts that could be felt in his whole body, those large hands… all what he had missed under this six months since their last night together. Leaning forwards when Ginghis hit one important spot, Domelvo let their lips meet in a desperate kiss. 

Then Domelvo let out of a loud scream from the pleasure that exploded inside him, causing Ginghis to climax together with him by tightening his ass. 

  
  


Of course, Cyrus and the other still inexperienced youths tried to eavesdrop without being noticed by the male couple that was fully focused on each other in bed. It was perfectly normal for them, because it was one way to learn the arts in the bedchamber. 

“I think Teacher is already having a far better time than what Amethyst will have tonight.”

The bodyguards were paid to stand outside the rooms if there was a sexual act paid for and react if a customer tried to use violence against a courtesan that was not part of the deal, especially if raised screams in protests could be heard from said courtesan inside the room. Therefore, rape was rare here in  **_The Golden Sun_ ** but there could always be a risk of that being part of a discipline lesson like what Amethyest would face. A such discipline lesson meant that the offender would have to suffer though various anal and oral sex positions thoughout a whole day and night with various customers getting money for it, often with their hands bound and a gag so they could not call for help. The idea behind this plan was to break the will of those who went through the punishment, so they gave up any ideas of refusing the sexual work that they would do as courtesans or lesser ranks of sex workers.

  
  


Later in the night, after several more rounds of love-making, the eunuch collapsed down on the board chest while gasping for breath, his trembling fingers tangled into the half-loose braid that Ginghis now wore. 

“You are  **_perfect,_ ** Domelvo, eunuch or not. You are the finest courtesan here, and famous even outside the red light district thanks to you already getting attention before your debut twelve years ago. Only an ignorant fool from a backwater area, who has been taught that courtesans are female, would think otherwise.” 

Ginghis had no idea how right he was about that Amethyst would indeed be viewed as coming from a backwater area even if he managed to convince someone to believe his repeated attempts to tell his real background, but it worked to make Domelvo feel better because the pale newcomer words had awoken memories of a person in the past that he wanted to forget. A noble, who had claimed to love him deeply and even tried to redeem him in his late teenage years, only to be revealed as a wealthy playboy who would buy especially stunning courtesans and then sell them further as concubines to others in the southern city where he lived, rather than taking one of the former courtesans as his own wife as promised. His plan for Domelvo, had been to sell him as a human pet to the Sultan of Rûm since in the view of the noble, his vitiligo made Domelvo a infrequent bargain to earn a fortune on. 

“There is something about that damn betrayer that Amethyst keeps reminding me of. His way of speaking in that strange language of his, acting as if he is above everyone else in the same room…” 

Ginghis stroked a hand over his head, a silent attempt of comforting him among all the unwanted memories. 

“Right. I promised you a gift for our the eighth anniversary of our first meeting, which happens to be tomorrow, in fact. It is in that box that Cyrus must have sneaked in while we slept a little.” 

The box was not as big as the treasure chest with the silver coins given to the manager as the redeeming money for him, but Domelvo opened it with a growing curiosity. 

“A Xiangqi set! Is it freshly made?! All for me?” 

Of course Ginghis would choose something like the Eastern strategy board game for two players, which they had played during their first meeting. Domelvo had been nineteen at that time, still deeply wounded by the betrayal he had suffered from the noble a few short months before, leaving him with deep trust issues towards anyone who was not part of the workers in  **_The Golden Sun_ ** and refusing to offer sexual services for two whole years afterwards. Ginghis had been twenty-two, slowly raising up in the military grades of the armies here in Mordor, and surprisingly understandable to why the younger courtesan preferred to service his new customer by showing off his growing skills in strategy board games instead of playing music, singing or dancing. 

“It was your skills outside bed that I first fell in love with, not your unusual face or anything such.” 

For the first time in the past 24 hours, Domelvo smiled for real, showing a dramatic contrast to the furious face he had worn earlier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Domelvo and the other male courtesans are wearing dresses and long hair because that is what male prostitutes in ancient Rome wore 
> 
> As one can guess from his name, this Ginghis Khan is somewhat inspired by the same RL person from Mongolia, only with the difference that this fictional character is homosexual and a General in the armies of Mordor instead
> 
> Xiangqi, also called Chinese chess or Elephant chess, is a strategy board game for two players. It is one of the most popular board games in China.


	3. Not always a paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life in the red-light district are not always easy

As the top-earning courtesan of  **_The Golden Sun,_ ** it was only natural that Domelvo was one of the most famous sex workers in the red-light district and that even common soldiers would at least have heard his name mentioned by their commanders in some form. 

But that was not what he cared for today. Right now, he was at a private residence, showing off his talent in strategy board games against a woman called Sayo, who could be called his female counterpart because they both were famed courtesans, as their playing was being watched by some nobles on a distance. 

“We are both in agreement that the match should be over as quickly as possible, I can see your body language,” she whispered in a very low voice, barely heard by their watchers. 

“ **_For me, nobles always makes me think of the one who tried to fool me into accepting his offer of redeeming me!_ ** ” Domelvo responded in the same low voice, his face perfectly calm but there was no mistake in the furious glare that he now spotted. Eight years may be a long time, but he refused to forget how it had felt for him to learn that he would only have joined a long line of unusual courtesans that the noble planned to sell further to others for a high price so he earned more money than what he had paid for the courtesans. And the memory of hearing his intended fate as a  _ human pet _ to the Sultan of Rûm… 

“Oh dear, looks like I lost!” Sayo pretended to say in dismay, as she made a clear beginner mistake that allowed Domelvo to take her most important piece. The nobles protested that the match had been far too short, and Domelvi pushed Cyrus behind himself in case it turned ugly, but suddenly the door was almost thrown up: 

“Time to escort a lovely eagle back home!” 

It was Ginghis, who had escorted a most unwilling Domelvo and Cyrus there, after that the male courtesan had demanded a far higher cost by the nobles for him even showing up in the first place. As he watched the game match from a window, he could see enough of Domelvo's body language that his lover secretly grew more and more desperate to get out from the building as soon as he could. With Cyrus tossing over the silk dupatta over his head so only his eyes were visible with his hair and face covered, Domelvo now looked like any other female courtesan and escorted by a favorite customer. Only the presence of Cyrus would reveal his actual gender. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

Knowing that Domelvo would need something to focus on instead of being so tense, Ginghis brought the small group to the food market stands where street food could be brought for a cheap price. For Cyrus, who rarely got to see the city outside the red-light district, this was a special treat. 

“Arancini is nice, and I am sure that the manager will not mind you getting a snack before coming back to  **_the Golden Sun_ ** for the evening.” 

Eating half of his portion, Domelvo then spoke: 

“I would not mind some meat, but it is hard to know when a worn-out oxen will be slaughtered next time. And those damn nobles are bound to buy all the meat before anyone else can…” 

Then, their attention was caught by some loud screams. 

“Hm? That customer seems rather angry for some reason, as he has not even entered the brothel.”

The loud argument was coming from one of the cheaper brothels near the entrance to the red-light district. A man, dressed like a low-rank officer, was clearly displeased with the madam of the place. 

“I am telling you, I want to buy her freedom so she can become my legal wife! She did tell me three months ago on my last visit, that she was expecting my child!”

“She was sold here to pay off the debts of her father for not doing what the higher-ups told him, or his female relatives would be the ones paying for his laziness! This is not a place for women to raise the fruits of their night work! She was sent to work in the army kitchens because a pregnant whore, the former daughter of an officer or not, is of no use here!” 

Upon hearing those words, Domelvo realized what sort of thing may be the reason behind the argument. 

“This is why I am grateful for being born as a man, even if I ended up being castrated twenty years ago when I was sold in slavery.” 

A so-called  **_baby trap_ ** as it was known among the brothels. A infamous tactic used by middle-class and upper-class daughters who would find themselves sold to become ladies of the night for various reasons, such as a massive debt resulting from uncontrolled drinking or gaming, or the father making such a major mistake in a mission that the whole family was punished for what he did. 

“Teacher? Gossip spread among us yet unsold says that the girl in question was one of those sheltered noble daughters, unaware of the cruel side of life, and that she apparently was very fond of those romance tales where the male lead saves his love interest from a unwanted arranged marriage by making her  _ eat for two _ and then saves her social honor from shame by marrying her,” Cyrus commented in a low voice so no one would hear it. 

“Alas, It seems like she found out the hard way that pregnancy is not welcomed in this sort of nightly work, even if it is a logical result of the girls and women having many customers.”

Despite being a bachelor, Ginhis had several nieces and nephews from his many siblings, and he had personally seen his mother and sisters in different states of pregnancy when growing up from a young boy to an adult. And his constant visits to the red-light district here over the years, where many of his friends and coworkers favored the female workers, it was difficult to remain naive about how some of the sex workers may try various metods to prevent themselves from being sold to different customers. 

“And abortions are not the only way to stop a pregnancy if it is discovered soon enough. Even the most low-rank brothels have contraceptives, that is not merely used to prevent the spread of transsexual diseases and medicines for abortions to be taken in case the female does end up having unprotected sex. So if a female sex worker stops taking the medicines and does not use contraceptives, it is only natural that she will be knocked up sooner or later. And she aims to trap a man that she fancies in the hope of escaping the brothel, well, it is not unheard of concubines and wives of lesser rank.” 

Domelvo knew what he talked about, for this was common knowledge in the red-light district even for the males selling their bodies. In fact, it was not unheard of female prostitutes trying to free themselves by using a baby trap, even if the baby may actually be sired by another customer than the one she liked. 

“And in some cases, those baby traps will never work to ensure her freedom. Even if she manages to give birth, the man may question the paternity of the child and refuse to take responsibility, the baby may be killed unless the madam or owner of the brothel thinks the brat can be sold to a slave-dealer for another slave to be trained in and be added to the number of sex workers.” 

Such a case had happened in a different brothel not even a year ago, if Domelvo recalled right. The female courtesan had found herself losing the baby when the infant had been exchanged for a girl that was almost old enough to be sold soon, her rumoured lover had left her without wanting to free her so they could marry, and she was degraded to the same rank as Amethyst held in  **_the Golden Sun;_ ** the cheapest one of those living in the brothel, being sold to customers more often than the other courtesans because she had lost her earlier value. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

When they returned to  **_the Golden Sun_ ** not long after, Cyrus was not surprised over being dismissed for the rest of the afternoon. It was a sign that Domelvo and Ginghis wanted privacy. 

Leading his teacher and the officer to have their fun, he instead chose to go to a different room. 

“Geeez, Amethyst has barely been working for a month and he is already losing the popularity he originally held as the newest courtesan here! I overheard his customer last night complain that he is not submissive at all,” Aziz complained when Cyrus joined the other youths for some cold drinks. 

“That bad? The manager is not going to be pleased.” 

“And that when Bull was his first customer during the discipline lesson to break him?! I don't even want to imagine what sort of life he had before coming here.” 

“His behavior is that of a high-status noble, surely he can not be so mentally challenged that he can not know what can happen to nobles that crosses the line too many times? Sometimes death is not the intended punishment, you know…” 

“He did wear that strange back armour when he was found on the doorstep, and only nobles or royalty have enough money for that sort of protection in battle!” 

As their raised voices were heard out in the corridor, Nasir chose to end the talk before the customers for this night arrived: 

“ **_Oi, you brats! We are waiting for our dinners and help to be dressed! Get going unless you want to give the customers a improvised dance performance all night!_ ** ” 

Realizing the very likely threat, the youngsters hurried away to do their chores before all the male courtesans joined Nasir in the promised punishment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dupattā is a simple piece of clothing draped loosely over the upper part of the body by women. Dupatta is one of the traditional and essential clothing of the women in the Indian subcontinent. Dupatta is used as a veil, and scarf also known as odhani.
> 
> Arancini is a Italian snack, small balls of rice stuffed with a savory filling, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried.


	4. Choosing different paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domelvo and Nasir will end up on different paths in the future

One of the best things with him and Ginghis being lovers for so long, was that Domelvo could trust him to know what was acceptable and not in their relationship. 

“Ah...Ginghis...please...please more…” the eunuch gasped in the heat of passion, feeling his climax building up inside his body. In response, a hand tenderly touched his inner thigh, because the general was busy pleasuring Domelvo through a blowjob. For the male courtesan, being the one pleasured instead of letting his body be used for the pleasure of a customer, this marked a clear proof of that Ginghis did not view him merely as a sex worker to use and then discard after a round in the bed. 

“Uh!” 

While it was not uncommon for him to scream out in pleasure at times, Domelvo covered his mouth with a hand to not be too loud this time; it was the wee hours of dawn outside and not all of his co-workers would be happy over being woken up from a short nap in order to regain some energy before the end of the working hours. 

  
  


Still, Ginghis had paid enough coins to be staying in **_the Golden Sun_ ** for two full days and nights, so he was not requested to leave when the rising sun began to colour the sky in the colours of dawn. 

“I know that we plan to share a future together, but what about your fellow courtesans that are veterans here? Nasir and Rami, for example? I do think I have seen Rami for a while,” Ginghis wondered as Cyrus came into the room with a breakfast tray with enough food for two people. 

“Rami retired three months ago and is unofficially trained as the successor of Sita, that older widow who took over as a silk merchant in the shop originally owned by her late husband in the city outside Mordor that lies closest to Nurn, and comes here sometimes for business. She is childless and has no other relatives alive, sadly. So while her choice of a adult son by adoption is a little odd, Rami knows that high-class brothels like us are unquestioned customers for silk to clothing in order to show that we stands far higher than other sex workers.” 

That detail of where Rami now lived, helped Gingis to recall where he had seen the other male courtesan last. He had thought that the male overseer in that silk shop seemed familiar somehow, after all. 

“Hope that he will find a bride and start a family of his own, as well. His past as a male courtesan may be a little obstacle for those who check his past history…” 

Swallowing his last steamed dumpling filled with plum, Domelvo put down the chopsticks of steel on the side of the food bowl where the dumplings had been placed before serving and drank some of the hot herbal tea. 

“He has always fancied the hard-working females from your home steppe even if he has been serving male customers, so I think if there is a girl that is not afraid of living in a city, he will be a very good husband.” 

Making a mental note to spread word about Rami to the still unwed daughters and nieces so the former courtesan would have a chance of marrying, Ginghis took the remaining dumpling for his own tasting. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

In another part of the building, Nasir was witnessing a very different scene: 

“I am telling you, I need the seed of that courtesan to fill my womb because my husband is infertile and my tribe looks down on women without children!” a woman in her mid-20s demanded, and she was becoming rather rude about her claimed errand to the brothel. 

“We are  **_NOT_ ** doing that kind of service here, insolent wench!” the manager snapped back in a warning tone, not being in the mood for pleasantness. Female customers were rare here in **_the Golden Sun,_ ** mainly because the manager did not want his “boys” to become involved with married women who committed infidelity and risked to sully the brothel's reputation. Also, there was the possible risk of the courtesans knocking up a female customer, siring a child that they may never meet or even know about for various reasons. 

“Manager, just let her leave so we can rest for the day…” 

Then Nasir saw the family symbol on a wooden badge that hung from the woman's cloth belt, and a rare shell necklace around her neck that was a little worn from constant use, and his face darkened in quickly-raising fury when he realized who she must be. 

“ **_HOW DARE YOU SHOW UP IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN AFTER TWENTY YEARS!! AFTER THAT MOTHER SOLD ME AND OUR OTHER BROTHERS FOR MONEY SO YOU COULD GET A FANCY NECKLACE?!_ ** ” 

Grabbing the nearest item beside him, a thankfully empty pitcher that had been used to pour up fruit juice, Nasir threw the pitcher at the woman with a anger that he rarely showed. 

“What do you mean...Nasir?!” the woman expressed in horror when she looked closer at his face and seemed to realize who he might be. But the manager made an end of the scene, using a broom to beat up the woman so she had no other choice but to run off before a crowd gathered to witness it all. 

  
  


Naturally, the event did not go unnoticed by the others in **_the Golden Sun_ ** because it had been hard to not hear what Nasir had screamed. Another telling sign of that Nasir must be deeply upset, was that Aziz suddenly ran around to the rooms of the other courtesans and begged them to help checking their food trays for whatever left-overs that could be used to make his teacher's favorite food dish, omurice. 

“His  _ own blood sister _ tried to buy his service in bed in order to become pregnant?!” Cyrus asked in unease, handing Aziz another lacquered bowl with some rice left over from the breakfast for Domelvo and Ginghis. 

“Teacher may tell later when he is less upset, but now we must bring a freshly-made omurice to him as soon as possible!” 

Now having enough rice from the other breakfast trays, Aziz hurried to the kitchen so Nasir could get the comfort food he so needed. 

“Um….what is this all about?”

Realizing that Ginghis did not know the full background of his co-worker and close friend, Domelvo took the task of enlightening his lover why Nasir had reacted as he did; 

“Nasir hails from a rare tribe that is ruled by Matriarchs, generally the maternal grandmother or mother of a family. He was the fifth son born to a woman who desperately wanted a daughter to be her heiress, and his father ended up replaced by a younger husband when the wife insisted that no daughter would be born from the seed of her first husband, her main proof being the five sons in their marriage. When Nasir was four, that long-desired female heiress was born and as a result, the five sons found themselves neglected by their mother, literally made servants of the infant sister they now had, expected to fulfill whatever demand or desire that she could have.” 

Ginghis had a bad feeling about what Domelvo would tell next, and could imagine how such favoritism could go in the long run when a spoiled sibling had never faced any consequences before for their behavior. 

“His mother sold her five sons into slavery, right? That is what I heard Nasir scream, at least.” 

Domelvo looked uncomfortable. 

“Sadly, yes. When the whole family was visiting a larger market, the five-year-old sister spotted a rare necklace, made from shells transported all the way from the distant coast, and refused to accept that it was way too expensive even for a family of high status in the tribe. Giving in to her daughter, Nasir's trust in his own mother broke when she chose to sell all her five sons to a slave-dealer in order to get enough coin for the necklace.”

Sold into slavery in order for his sister to be given yet another fancy item that her brothers would never be allowed to have. And then undoubtly separated from his brothers somewhere along the road to Mordor, even seeing them again and ending up in the sex industry. No wonder Nasir reacted as he did, when he realized who she was, if the sister was the reason why he now was in  **_the Golden Sun_ ** as a courtesan. 

“I can check things over with that sister, if Nasir would like to know why she is here. If she is married yet coming to a place so far from her homeland in order to find a male slave to take seed from, then Nasir can not be the only male around here looking similar to her tribe. I mean, there is at least four months of travel from that area to Mordor, and it would be nearly nine in total time just to get here and back.” 

Domelvo already had a good guess why.

“No one would question a spouse dying of illness during the travel, and given that Nasir oldest brother was born to their mother when they were 20 and he was already 16 when the five brothers was sold into slavery, then it is rather doubtful that Nasir have unknown, younger half-siblings. If his sister was the only child left in the household after that her brothers vanished out of her life, then she would not have a brother to trade for a new husband if her current one is infertile…  **_or if she is the one who can not have children._ ** ”

Some men simply were never able to have offspring, no matter how many legal wives or concubines they tried with, and getting treatments from doctors and other healers to try fixing the problem in getting a child. Same for women, and both genders could deny the very possibility that it was themselves who had the fertility problems instead of a partner. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

For the next two days, Nasir refused to come out of his room, and no customer was let in to him for night service. But on the third day, he finally came out. 

“I was beginning to worry how many dishes of omurice that you could eat. It is your favorite, but one gets tired of the taste soon,” Domelvo commented when Nasir joined him out on the biggest balcony of **_the_** **_Golden Sun_** where they could see the red-light district getting ready for the night with all the characteristic red lamps that was formed by the red paper around the lamps. 

“Needed to be alone. My emotions were in chaos over seeing her again after all those years and the memories of Mother always giving her what she demanded, that returned.” 

The sister was the main reason why Nasir had gotten an unfavorable opinion on women over the years. Not enough to make him having openly-shown misogyny, but he had made it clear over their shared time in  **_the Golden Sun_ ** that no matter what, Nasir refused the idea of a traditional marriage where he would have a wife and sire children on her. He feared a repeat of his own childhood, that the wife would end up favoring a daughter over the sons, despite that his childhood tribe was rarely seen in the East. 

“I have told the manager that I do not want to be redeemed, not even by a male customer.” 

Then Nasir would retire next year at the age of 30 without being freed in the same manner as Domelvo, and likely take over **_the Golden Sun_ ** as the next manager at some point in the future, as he had expressed a desire for.

“Hope that you will not have to deal with Amethyst, then. He has barely been working for six months yet and already he is ranked as the one among us to give least enjoyable bedsport.” 

Nasir snorted at the mention of the foreigner, accepting the offered cup of cold water from Domelvo as a start of the dinner before work. 

“ _ Damn noble who can not adjust to his new lifestyle _ . The latest letter from Rami said that there will be a group of new slaves coming to Nurn soon, a few of them boys that he thought to be possible new workers here. Though he did warn that one of them showed the behavior of a noble whose family had fallen into ruin yet was not ready to accept the reality of losing his birth status.” 

Their former co-worker may be free and adopted by a new mother those days, but he still kept in contact with his former workplace so the courtesans would be ready for when it could be new arrivals. And as a former male courtesan himself, Rami would know what sort of looks that was favored in  **_The Golden Sun_ ** for boys that may be sold there. 

“Ugh. It is such a bother to beat out the arrogance of those brats and teach them how to be submissive to customers, especially if they already are near the age of fifteen when we start working. It is easier when they are still between five and nine like the youngest boys here, but youths who have started the change into manhood? Amethyst is a perfect example of how they are as adults,” Domelvo said with some dread, not looking forward to having to share residence in the same building with both Amethyst and a boy that would be him in character, only a decade younger. 

Finishing the meal under silence, Domelvo returned to his room to start dressing for the night while Nasir went to the baths to clean himself off. 

  
  


A few days later, Gingis came back with some news: 

“I managed to find out why his sister was here. It is as you thought, Domelvo, she is not yet blessed with a child in her womb and has tried to trade her husband for a hopefully more fertile man to share her bed with. But it seems like several doctors here in the red-light district were quick to crush whatever hope she had.” 

That was not surprising. Here in the red-light district, doctors had to be clear in whatever a woman in the sex industry was at risk for pregnancy while having unprotected sex or not. Infertile women would not be uncommon at the doorsteps, hoping for a cure that could help them get a child. 

“Hah, what a heavenly punishment from the gods!” Nasir laughed bitterly since he overheard the talk on the way to his own room, “our mother had six healthy children, even if five of us were sons that would be sold into marriage to other families in the tribe if she had not sold us, yet her desired heiress is infertile! Must be a heavy blow to the hope of the family line going on to the next generation!”

Nasir had never learned the fates of his brothers after being separated from them, but he doubted that all four were still alive after twenty years. Slavery meant a lot of dangerous works that no free men wanted to do, such as working in the mines for metals or other heavy labour. He had been lucky in that his pretty face and gender had ensured him a place in  **_the Golden Sun_ ** rather than in a low-class brothel where he would be serving customers from day one and possibly die at a young age from sexual abuse and some form of STDs. 

“Good, he is in a happy mood again,” Domelvo smiled, before returning to playing music on the bow harp as part of the fun he intended to share with Ginghis tonight. Things would be normal again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omurice is consisting of an omelette made with fried rice and thin, fried scrambled eggs, usually topped with ketchup. It is a popular dish both commonly cooked at home and often found at western style diners in Japan.


End file.
